I Was an Atomic Mutant!

                Unofficial Strategy Guide and FAQ

                         by Kasey Chang

                    released January 29, 2004

0    Introduction

0.1   A word from the author

A quick browse through the gamefaq.com shows that there is no FAQ
available for this cute little budget title, so here's my
version.

This is a FAQ, NOT a manual. You won't learn how to play the game
with this document, and I'm NOT about to add it to ease the life
of software pirates.

This USG only covers the PC version since that's the only version
that I have.

Some of you may recognize my name as the editor for the XCOM and
XCOM2: TFTD FAQ's, among others.

0.2   Terms of Distribution

This document is copyrighted by Kuo-Sheng "Kasey" Chang (c) 2004,
all rights reserved excepted as noted above in the disclaimer
section.

This document is available FREE of charge subjected to the
following conditions:

1) This notice and author's name must accompany all copies of
this document: "I was an atomic mutant! Unofficial Strategy
Guide" is copyrighted (c) 2004 by Kasey K.S. Chang, all rights
reserved except as noted in the disclaimer."

2) This document must NOT be modified in any form or manner
without prior permission of the author with the following
exception: if you wish to convert this document to a different
file format or archive format, with no change to the content,
then no permission is needed.

2a) In case you can't read, that means TXT only. No banners, no
HTML borders, no cutting up into multiple pages to get you more
banner hits, and esp. no adding your site name to the site list.

3) No charge other than "reasonable" compensation should charged
for its distribution. Free is preferred, of course. Sale of this
information is expressly prohibited. If you see any one selling
this guide, drop me a line at ksc1@aol.com.

4) If you used material from this, PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE the source,
else it is plagiarism.

5) The author hereby grants all games-related web sites the right
to archive and link to this document to share among the game
fandom, provided that all above restrictions are followed.

Sidenote: The above conditions are known as a statutory contract.
If you meet them, then you are entitled to the rights I give you
in 5), i.e. archive and display this document on your website. If
you don't follow them, then you did not meet the statutory
contract conditions, and therefore you have no right to display
this document. If you still do so, then you are infringing upon
my copyright. This section was added for any websites that don't
seem to understand this.

For the gamers: You are under NO obligation to send me ANY
compensation.  However, I do ask for a VOLUNTARY contribution of
one (1) US Dollar if you live in the United States, and if you
believe this guide helped your game. If you choose to do so,
please make your US$1.00 check or $1.00 worth of US stamps to
"Kuo-Sheng Chang", and send it to "2220 Turk Blvd. #6, San
Francisco, CA 94118 USA". If you don't live in the US, please
send me some local stamps. I collect stamps too.

0.3  Voluntary Contribution

Gamers who read this guide are under NO obligation to send me ANY
compensation.

However, a VOLUNTARY contribution of one (1) US Dollar would be
very appreciated.

If you choose to do so, please make your US$1.00 check or $1.00
worth of stamps to "Kuo-Sheng Chang", and send it to "2220 Turk
Blvd. #6, San Francisco, CA 94118 USA".

If you don't live in the US, please send me some local stamps. I
collect stamps too.

For the record, out of ALL the FAQs I wrote (48 at least count),
I've received exactly 54 dollars, and 5 sets of stamps, as of
latest release of this guide. So I'm NOT exactly making any money
off these guides, folks.

0.4   How and when to contact me

PLEASE let me know if there's a confusing or missing remark,
mistakes, and thereof... If you find a question about this game
that is not covered in the USG, e-mail it to me at the address
specified below.  I'll try to answer it and include it in the
next update.

Please do NOT write me for technical support. I do NOT work for a
game company and thus I do NOT provide support.

Please do NOT ask me to send you a list of controls, the manual,
etc. If you borrowed the game without borrowing the manual, curse
at your own stupidity. If you bought the game without a manual,
please blame your own stupidity as well. If you copied the game
without copying the manual, you're scum in my book.

Please do NOT ask me to answer questions that had already been
answered in this guide. It makes you look REALLY idiotic.

I will NOT answer stupid questions like the ones above unless I'm
in a really good mood. If you send questions like that, do NOT
expect a reply.

The address below is spelled out phonetically so spammers can't
use spambots on it:

Kilo-Sierra-Charlie-Hotel-Alpha-November-Golf-Seven-Seven AT
Yankee-Alpha-Hotel-Oscar-Oscar DOT Charlie-Oscar-Mike

To decipher this, simply read the first letter off each word
except for the numbers and the punctuation. This is "military
phonetics" or "aeronautical phonetics" in case you're wondering.

This document was produced on Microsoft Word 97. Some editing was
done with Editpad (editpadclassic.com).

0.5    The Author

I am just a game player who decided to write my own FAQs when the
ones I find don't cover what I want to see.  Lots of people like
what I did, so I kept doing it.

Previously, I've written Unofficial Strategy Guides (USGs) for
XCOM, XCOM2:TFTD, Wing Commander, Wing Commander 2, Wing
Commander 3, Wing Commander 4, Privateer, Spycraft, 688(I)
Hunter/Killer. Mechwarrior 3, MW3 Expansion Pack, Mechwarrior 4,
Mechwarrior 4: Black Knight, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed,
The Sting!, Terranova, Fallout Tactics, Starfleet Command Volume
II, DS9: The Fallen, Dominion War, Driver, and a few more.

To contact me, see 0.4 above.

0.6   Disclaimer/ Copyright Information

I was an Atomic Mutant! is a trademark of Canopy Games, published
by ValuSoft.

This USG is not endorsed or authorized by either entities.

The information compiled in this USG has been gathered
independently through the author's efforts.

0.7   Release log

29-JAN-2004    First release

0.8   The Most Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you send me I was an atomic mutant?
A: No. I bought it for $10, so can you.

Q: Can you send me the manual (or portions thereof)?
A: No.

Q: Can you tell me how to play the game?
A: Read the manual.

Q: What's the latest version?
A: There is a V1.10 patch available on the official website
http://www.atomicmutant.com

Q: What exactly is "awesome might"?
A: That's IWAAM-speak for "life points". When you run out, you
use up a life. When you use up all your lives, you go down for
good.

Q: What exactly is "atomic power"?
A: It's a measure of your attack power. Each of your attacks
depletes a different amount of power. Some attacks take a LOT of
power, while others take very little. If you're out of power, you
can't attack. Rest of a bit and it will regenerate, or you can
find a powerup.

Q: What is CanopyVision 3D?
A: It's the "cinematic viewpoint" where you view yourself (the
mutant) from ground level.

Q: So the difference between Cinema and Drive-in is...
A: Slightly different background and frame.



1    Game Information

This section contains the general game information.

1.1   Game Information

I was an atomic mutant! (IWAAM for short) is a "monster rampage"
game where you play as one of the four monsters rampaging through
the old US in the 1950's. In your way are police, army, air
force, and special forces determined to stop you. You rampage
from one town to another. When you destroy a town, your "life" is
replenished and you move on to the next tougher town. How far can
you go?

Each "monster" has a tongue-in-cheek description that uses a LOT
of hyperbole and sensationalism about the misuse of atomic
energy. Each has at least five different attacks, ranging from
long-range energy shots to short-range stomp. Some can even pick
up humans and vehicles and throw them as weapons.

Beyond that, there really isn't much else to the game. It's a
little bit of mindless fun, like the old Atari "Rampage" game
where you play as a monster and knock down as many buildings as
possible.

1.2   Hardware requirements

Operating System: Windowsr 98/Me/2000/XP
DirectXr: 8.1 minimum
Processor: Pentiumr II 400 MHz or higher (Recommended: Pentiumr
III 500 Mhz or higher)
RAM: 128 MB
Hard Drive Space: 200 MB Free
Drives: 8x CD-ROM
Cards: 8 MB 3D Accelerator with DirectX 8.1 compliant video
drivers, DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card (Recommended: 16 MB 3D
Accelerator with DirectX 8.1 compliant video drivers.)


1.3   Author's review of the title

IWAAM is a campy little "shooter" that lets you play as a monster
rampaging through a town or city, grabbing cars and toss them
like toys, vaporize buildings, and cause general havoc. In your
way are various opposition, from police to army to air force and
special forces (special weapons).

The game is in full 3D, with very 50's style interface that puts
you in the right mood. Blow apart buildings, see people run away,
grab cars and throw them as weapons, fighters strafing you... It
is a lot of campy fun.

You basically go from town to town, leveling each one. You get
regenerated in between. You can even locate powerups that can
supercharge you to double damage, temporary invulnerability, and
so on.

The game really isn't that deep, nor was it meant to be (being a
$20 budget title), thus some design flaws can almost be
overlooked. The interface could use a bit of help. It's not that
easy to find that "last building" you need to blow up to finish
the level. The enemies never stop coming thus you're under severe
time limit (of sorts). There's no way to save a particularly good
rampage to share with others (no record or replay). And the four
monsters aren't that different.



2    The Monsters

2.1   She-Beast

EYE-BLAST: long-range beam power

STOMP: point-blank area attack

THROW: pick up an item, then point it at a target and let go!

SONIC SCREAM: short-range area attack

PUNCH: point-blank frontal attack


2.2   Invader from Dimension X

Invader from dimension X (just "invader" from now on) is a huge
space ship with 2 legs and 3 tentacles. It has decent speed and a
lot of long-range attacks.

X-CANNON: long-range bolts of xplasma, low energy drain, your
best weapon. Shoot every thing from long range, then close for
precision work.

X-BASH: point-blank area attack, good for leveling close-by
buildings and enemies that's too close for X-Cannon.

THROW: pick up an item, then point it at a target and let go!
Fun to try with cars, tanks, and so on. Try to hit a bunker with
your target!

DEATH RAY: heavier (but uses more energy) version of X-cannon

WHIPLASH: short-range version of X-cannon, uses even LESS energy,
not that useful as X-Cannon is pretty low-drain already.


2.3   Brain from Beyond Infinity

PSI-BLAST: long-range attack power

PSI-FLING: just like throw

MIND-WHOMP: point-blank area attack

INSANITY RAY: turns enemy harmless, useful as defense, then use
psi-fling to turn them into weapons!

PSI-PUNCH: short-range frontal attack


2.4   Reptomicus

Reptomicus (or "Repto" for short) is a decent monster that has
the ability to self-regenerate by eating humans it grabs. Atomic
bite and fireball shold be enough for 90% of the time.

Fireball: long-range fire bolts, pretty useful as it's low-drain.
Use it to shoot everything before continuing.

Tail-Whack: point-blank area attack, good for group of buildings
or amongst enemies too close for fireball.

Inferno: continuous stream of fire, very low-range, uses a LOT of
power

Throw or Eat: Rep can pick up objects like throw, but if it picks
up a human, it can eat the human instead! It'll even gain a
little health from it. Just don't throw (i.e. release the button)
and Rep will eat instead.

Atomic Bite: frontal point-blank attack. Charge in there and do
building after building. Uses practically NO power at all so you
can keep using it again and again.


3    The Opponents

The following descriptions are taken from the manual.

3.1   RIFLE TROOPER

Data: This is the basic army unit equipped with a standard bolt
action rifle. This unit gains strength in numbers and its small
size makes it hard to see. Shoot them from a distance with your
long-range weapon.
Class: Infantry
Speed: Low
Damage: Low
Health: Low
Threat Level: Very Low

3.2   MACHINE GUN TROOPER

Data: Similar to the Rifle Trooper, this unit has a faster rate
of fire with his gun. Again, shoot them from long distance is
best.
Class: Infantry
Speed: Low
Damage:Low
Health:Low
Threat Level: Low

3.3   HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TROOPER

Data: The strongest of the Infantry; the Hazmat Trooper uses the
power of modern science to enhance his weapon with a toxic gas
attack that really drains Health. Fires green-ish gas but has to
be pretty close. Don't let him get that close! Shoot him with
long-range firepower, or if he got that close, use the close-in
area attack.
Class: Infantry
Speed: Low
Damage: Medium
Health: Low
Threat Level: Medium

3.4   M-8 ARMORED CAR

Data: Fast and hard to hit, this light armored vehicle has a
mounted 20mm Cannon and is skilled at run and gun fighting. They
can do a fair amount of damage, and they keep moving. Keep
shooting at it and follow it with your stream of fire.
Class: Wheeled Armor
Speed: High
Damage: Low
Health: Low
Threat Level: Medium

3.5   ELITE M-8 ARMORED CAR

Data: More skilled drivers and gunners command the elite versions
of the M8, making it an opponent that you don't want to ignore.
They are a slightly different color than the regular one (black
instead of brown), and a little tougher to kill.
Class: Wheeled Armor
Speed: High
Damage: Medium
Health: Low
Threat Level: Medium-High

3.6   M-24 CHAFFEE TANK

Data: This light- tank has a heavy cannon mounted on its turret.
The shots are small orange dots, hard to see unless you really
look carefully. Shoot them from a distance.

Class: Armor
Speed: Low
Damage: Medium
Health: Medium
Threat Level: Medium-High

3.7   M-4A3 SHERMAN TANK

Data: The Sherman medium tank is a more formidable opponent than
the Chaffee and packs a heavier punch. Shots are small red/orange
dots. Avoid getting hit as they can take a bite out of you. Shoot
them from LONG distance, as far away as possible.
Class: Armor
Speed: Low
Damage: High
Health: High
Threat Level: High

3.8   LRM-4 MISSILE TANK

Data: Slow to fire and slow to reload are the only negative
aspects of this extremely high powered weapon. One of these
missiles can stun you for several seconds so other attackers can
pick you apart. Shoot them from as far away as possible. If you
see a missile heading your way, back up!
Class: Armor
Speed: Low
Damage: Extremely High
Health: High
Threat Level: Very High  <<====

3.9   P-51 MUSTANG

Data: Highly maneuverable; this WWII left-over packs twin wing
mounted machine guns. Fortunately, it doesn't do that much
damage. A couple shots should bring it down.
Class: Aerial Fighter
Speed: High
Damage: Low
Health: Low
Threat Level: Very Low

3.10  F-86 SABER

Data: As first dependable jet fighter, the Saber is very fast and
is armed with two wing mounted rocket pods. They do a little more
damage, but still easily killed... If you can hit it.
Class: Aerial Fighter
Speed: Extremely High
Damage: Low
Health: Low
Threat Level: Low

3.11  ELITE F-86 SABER

Data: Skilled pilots fly this version of the Saber. They also
have upgraded weapons mounted on the aircraft.(i.e. better
rockets). Still easily killed, but fast-moving.
Class: Aerial Fighter
Speed: Extremely High
Damage: Medium
Health: Low
Threat Level: Medium-Low

3.12  XB FLYING WING

Data: Shrouded in mystery, this secret Air Force prototype is
ready to prove its skills on whatever threat may present itself.
Drops stream of big bombs in its wake, not that hard to kill if
you can see it.
Class: Aerial Bomber
Speed: Low
Damage: High
Health: Medium
Threat Level: Medium

3.13  B-52 BOMBER

Data: This new bomber specialized in dropping huge bomb-loads
with somewhat good accuracy. However, it's slow and not that hard
to kill with a long-range weapon.
Class: Aerial Bomber
Speed: Low
Damage: Extremely High
Health: Medium
Threat Level: Medium High

3.14  HEAVY MACHINE GUN BUNKER

Data: This fortification is centered around a .50 Cal Machine Gun
with a very high rate of fire. It can sting you. Look for them
near "entrances" to a town as well as the edges. Sometimes they
are located close enough to the entrance and off to the side that
you can't see them until you're almost in point-blank range.
Class: Bunker
Speed: None
Damage: Medium
Health: High
Threat Level: Medium

3.15  FLAK CANNON BUNKER

Data: A high rate of fire and devastating Flak shells combine to
make this a target to watch out for. You often find these ringing
the edge of a town or important facility. They can do a fair bit
of damage, so hit them fast.
Class: Bunker

Speed: None
Damage: Medium
Health: High
Threat Level: Medium-High

3.16  Blue Missile Tower?

Data: similar to missile tank but fixed, the blue missile is
launched by a building. Usually found near nuclear plants?
Class: Bunker (?)
Speed: None
Damage: Extremely High
Health: High
Threat Level: Extremely High <<====



4    Power-ups

Note: you'll get different power-ups depending on whether you're
in arcade or monster mode.

Red       HEALTH UP

Green     ATOMIC POWER UP

Yellow    COMBO UP (health and atomic power)

Purple    DOUBLE DAMAGE (limited time)

Blue      INVULNERABLE (limited time)

Cyan       EXTRA LIFE

4.1   Monster Mode

In Monster Mode, you only have ONE life, but INFINITE atomic
power. Thus you won't get any green powerups, and yellow powerup
only gives extra health.

4.2   Arcade Mode

Arcade mode gives you three lives, but you can run out of energy
if you attack too frequently. You can get all powerups in this
mode.



5    Some strategies

Here's some strategies you may wish to employ while in search of
the perfect rampage...

There is no point is listing the levels since each level is
randomly created based on some basic layout of town.

5.1   Go first-person

You will need to install the V1.10 patch to get this viewpoint.
Hit F1 to switch until you get the first-person (first-mutant?)
view. Then use that to aim your shots, threats first. This makes
aiming much easier and more accurate.

However, first-person viewpoint is bad for movement, as there's
no way to know your actual HEADING (movement) vs. facing. (No HUD
in a mutant!)  Thus, you may need to switch back into third-
person or the new third-person-far viewpoint for navigation (and
powerup gathering).

5.2   "Honor the threat"

When you see something that shoots at you, shoot it first. Look
for shots that fly in your direction and fire back. That is
called "honoring the threat". The only exception is aircraft, as
they usually don't hit very hard, so you can afford to ignore
them for a little while.

Ground-based threats can be extremely serious. The atomic ray
guns (fires blue bolts) can do a LOT of hurt, but fortunately are
fixed. The missile tanks are very dangerous as it can stun you
for a few seconds. The tanks can do significant damage to you as
well, and bunkers with machine guns can really chip into you.

Remember, even small wounds will kill if you get a lot of them,
so take care of threats first, THEN target practice.

5.3   Ground attacks are far more serious

Ground attacks from bunkers, blue towers, missile tank, etc. do a
lot of damage.  The aerial attacks don't do that much damage
overall.

If you see a shot coming your way, stop and fire back as you
reverse course and back up.

5.4   Know your attacks

Remember when you should use your short-range punches vs. long-
range shots. Save the energy and it can save you in a big battle.

5.5   Use long range attack first

In first-person view, you can hit things that are VERY far away,
esp. with the monsters that have the attack powers. Keep firing
and you'll blow things up left and right. Don't even move, but
just shoot from where you start. Some planes may attack, but you
can shoot those down when you can, and they don't do much damage.

Shoot EVERYTHING that can be shot from your present location,
then move forward a little and shoot the exposed area. Keep doing
this until you clear the map.

If you don't approach the town, often the enemy (except fighters
and bombers) will not attack you.

Another advantage to this method is it reveals all the power-ups
so you can grab them first, THEN finish off the last buildings.

5.6   Clear out one section at a time

That way, you don't need to "backtrack" to locate that ONE
building you did NOT blow up the first time, with a ton of
enemies shooting at you in the meanwhile.

5.7   Watch out for extra low buildings and domes

It's very easy to miss those extra-log buildings and domes, so
clear ONE section at a time and look at the other stuff later.

5.8   Watch out for inifnite respawn enemies

Some enemies respaw automatically and comes in via tunnels. So
stay AWAY from the tunnels if you don't want to get pummuled.

6    Other Stuff

6.1   Cheat Codes

When creating a player profile, enter "Goober" (without the
quotes) and start arcade mode game. You'll get TEN lives, instead
of the normal three.

Enter "Shift+2" during gameplay for infinite Awesome Might
(infinite life)

Enter "Shift+N" during gameplay for infinite Atomic Power (attack
power)

-- end faq --